DIY Brick Backsplash

Rick, the “Brick” is in the house.

Or in this case…the kitchen. In case you don’t know who Rick is, he’s my handsome husband who helps me with everything I do for this blog. I want you to know, that if it wasn’t for him, this post would not be possible. He gets all of the credit.

Check out our new, real, “DIY Brick Wall”, or backsplash if you prefer…

It turned out absolutely amazing! Way better than I ever imagined. Here’s another version…

The shelf was added for fun, and it is removable. It’s a piece of a pine board that I stained and polyurethaned. It also has hooks in it to hang my utensils. I can take it down, or leave it up and switch out my decor any time I like. Sometimes I hang a wreath here for Christmas, or I could leave it plain, too. (Stay tuned until next week to find out how I made the “Spice Jars”.)

The brick adds depth to the room, and actually grounds our cozy kitchen. It’s a beautiful, warm, rustic focal point. We happen to have a fireplace on the other side of the kitchen that I wanted to match, or at least get close to the same brick color.

You be the judge…

Here’s the brick fireplace…

It’s very close. We actually got lucky with that because we chose the colors on-line. (See Affiliate link below.)

If you look closely…there was fire damage. This was a big red flag to us and we knew we had to do something about it.

That was when we decided to put copper tin up. I was happy with it for a little while, but then it seemed too flashy to me. That’s when I got a little crazy and painted over the tin. I gave it this white washed look.

Once again…I was happy with it for a while. Until we switched to granite. Then it seemed to clash.

So…here’s Rick the Brick in his POP pj’s taking matters into his own hands. Literally.

He’s thinking…”Why the hell did we put this up in the first place. Damn woman.”

That morning we looked up “DIY Brick Wall” on the internet. Believe it or not, we didn’t find much. So, hopefully this post will help a lot of people that wish to put up a brick wall, or back splash.

Before I hand my blog over to Rick, here are a list of products. FYI-the bricks are not full size bricks, but they are REAL BRICK, just thinner. It’s very affordable, and much easier to have delivered. We used almost 4 boxes of brick, 1 large container of adhesive, and 1 bag of basic mortar.

After surface is clean of debris, attach a level ledger to the wall to ensure your first level of brick is straight and level. We used 1×4 ripped in half and attached it to the wall, using a level to keep it straight. Then we spread adhesive (molding covers up any gap if there is one).

Once the adhesive is spread on your wall, score it with the trowel so you have grooves evenly throughout the adhesive. This will ensure proper adhesion of the bricks to the surface of the wall. You will want to measure your wall area ahead of time so that you are able to lay out the bricks evenly. This will ensure you know how long to cut the end brick on each layer and create an even pattern. Now, begin laying your bricks using spacers in-between each brick on both sides and top. You will create an even pattern this way.

After you have finished laying your brick wall, allow it to dry for 24 hours. Now you are ready to mortar the joints. Fill in the joints with mortar using a trowel. Let set and then clean the brick and mortar joints with a damp heavy sponge. Let the brick dry for another 24 hours and then seal the brick with a quality brick sealer. These sealers come in several different sheens. We used high gloss which gave the brick a richer look.

{This is the brick before sealer, and everything was wet. The brick and mortar dry lighter than this.}

Okay…now it’s me again. Thanks, Richard. Great job!

Here’s an important tip…

Before we applied the sealer, I got whip lash turning my head back and forth trying to judge if the brick matched our fireplace on the other side of the kitchen. As you can see with the photo above and below, the brick was lacking the dark grey shadings that I love so much.

So…I took matters into my own hands and stole our daughters pastels. I took a risk and shaded some of the bricks with black. It was very simple. I just blended it with my 2 fingers and if I made a mistake it came off with a damp rag. It was actually very fun.

Here it is after it was sealed and dry. That dark brick right by the pizza cutter is my favorite brick!

I like it so much that I used the backsplash as a back drop for my new blog photo,lol.

Stay tuned for 2 more related posts…one of which will explain the spice jars and a few other details, and the other one will include our Fall Tour/ Thanksgiving Tablescape 2015, and a new full kitchen reveal. I’m calling it…”Our Thankful Kitchen”.

What an up grade! So love brick. It adds timeless character doesn’t it? What a perfect choice. It echoes the brick on your fireplace. You must be pleased every time you walk in your kitchen and see it. Rick is a keeper! 🙂

Julie and Rick,
Awesome job, what a transformation. It’s amazing what a difference some elbow grease can make! Sorry Rick, I should have said A LOT OF ELBOW GREASE.
Your whole house is a beautiful home; I love it.

Hi Julie – KUDOS to you and Hoppin Poppin Rick the Brick! I have one word for you… GORGEOUS. BRILLIANT. STUNNING. Sooooo…. our guest room is ready for the two of you to come over for a visit and do the same to our kitchen!! Hugs, Holly

Love it! Husband did a fantastic job!!! I have the same on my backsplash and also the back of my stove! We built our farmhouse two years ago! Also I have a fireplace in the kitchen that is brick too! I love it! It is the perfect match for any decor!!!!! We used the thin brick also for the backsplash and behind my stovetop but ours already had the darker bricks mixed with the red ones! Clever to shade them !great job!

Back in 1974 we built a new house in the country. The two things I wanted were: a round arch with brick behind my stove and a sliding barn door. Well I got them both and I LOVED my brick. Yours is so great!!

No mention of WHAT you sealed the brick with. I’m certain one could come up with a few products to do the trick, but what did YOU use?

It has to have a non porous surface for most folks due to the place it is located with foods/etc splashing up on it. The problem too, is if you get TIRED of it (like you did the other), you’ve got major surgery to remove it and start from scratch. The removing of the previous backsplash was of no consequence.

Kevin- Everything is now listed in the post for your convenience. There are absolutely no problems with this backsplash. My husband is Italian and we make tomato sauce weekly. I cook every day, and still haven’t had to wipe it. However, when the splash happens, or the need to wipe exists, I simply need to take a wet hot soapy dish cloth and wipe it clean. The sealant protects it from everything. This is for keeps. The tin was a mistake and I knew it from the start. It matches our fireplace in the kitchen perfectly. When you install something this beautiful, and classic, there is no need to think about removing it.

[…] hardware. So smart and BOSS. Next up is one of my favorite backsplash projects I have ever seen. Julie from Redhead Can Decorate installed a DIY brick backsplash and the result is EPIC. Love it. Next up is a super clever idea from Jenna at Wife in Progress. […]

[…] up is a gorgeous and unique kitchen backsplash! Julie from Redhead Can Decorate installed a DIY brick backsplash and the result is EPIC. Love it. Next up is a super clever idea from Jenna at Wife in Progress. […]

We painted and revamped our kitchen a few years ago in a farmhouse style. My sink is in front of a blank wall and while I’ve tried to add interest with a task light and other dec objects, I really wanted to enhance the farmhouse style with bead board or brick. I really love what you’ve done and knowing that the bricks can be colorized using art pencils/chalk makes a big difference for me. I love what you’ve done here and am still trying to decide between the two since I love both looks!

hi I would like to do for my kitchen backsplash I have a contractor…do I just buy everything and give to him to do? We will be putting on dry wall that is ok? I been to two different tiles places looking for the exact thing…ugh! help

Hi Penny! It rests on 2 pieces of black wood on either side of the cabinets. There is also an L bracket screwed into the brick under the middle of the board so the board doesn’t sag down. The board rests on all of these things 🙂 ~ Julie

[…] the removable shelf was already there. We installed it right after we finished our DIY real Brick Backsplash. It’s simply a stained pine wood board from Home Depot that is attached with an L bracket […]

Hi Julie,
I love the brick look in the kitchen. I was actually thinking of remodeling my kitchen in whites until I saw this! I do have a question though. I am a messy sort of cook so I was wondering how the brick holds up to, say grease from a pan? Spaghetti sauce etc.? Does it clean up easy?

Nice write-up of using thin bricks. Love the look you have with the lighting in the backsplash space. I have been thinking about something similar, but it is in a small cove area of around 20×20 inches. Too bad they don’t sell the bricks in smaller packages. I might just have to cut my own bricks or find someone else’s leftover thin bricks.

Hmmm…How many would you need H in Ohio? I have a few extra I could mail you for shipping plus minor cost? We are doing our front porch right now so we have a ton, however we are using most of them. Hard to tell! ~ Julie

I have some leftover bricks from me doing my patio.. they are standard brick and not these thin ones… I would really like to put them to use in my kitchen and this projects looks like a great idea to use them.. do you think that they would work just as good? Or do you think that I would have to find someone to cut them?

I cook every day Nancy and I’ve never had to clean it! I know it sounds gross, but it doesn’t show anything! If it did there is a sealant on the bricks so it wipes off.; I probably should go over it w soap and water, but I keep forgetting. Now my stove is a different story. That thing gets dirty easily. I love my bricks!

Love our brick backsplash. Love your countertops. What is your countertop product information? Enjoyed your helpful info. I have black cabinets and deciding on a backsplash. This helps. Thinking of butcher block for countertop which I see you have as an island. Appreciate your information.

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